This invention relates to bottle caps for nail care products and to apparatus for supporting one or more fingers during manicuring for facilitating the application of nail care products to the nails.
During manicure procedures, such as filing and buffing of nails and, particularly, during the application or removal of nail polish, it is important that the fingers and associated nails remain steady and separated from each other to achieve satisfactory results. If the fingers are unsteady, a common result is the application of polish or polish remover beyond the desired area. One danger resulting, in part, from unsteadiness of the fingers is potential damage to countertops and tabletops from spilling or spattering of polish or polish remover. It is also useful to have separation of the fingers until nail polish has dried to inhibit potential smearing of the polish.
The fingers may be immobilized during manicuring by resting them directly on a stable surface, such as a countertop, however, this is not entirely satisfactory. The close proximity of the nail to the adjacent surface increases the potential for applying nail polish or polish remover to that surface as well as to the nail and also inhibits the freedom of movement required to effectively file or buff nails. Thus, ideally, a finger should be elevated above the stable surface during the manicuring process.
Women typically carry manicure products, such as nail polish and nail files, with them for on-the-spot manicuring and touch-up of their nails. For this reason, it is desirable to have a small, lightweight apparatus to provide for stability and elevation of the fingernail. Additionally, a finger rest is useful only in conjunction with the nail care products, therefore it is preferable to have it detachably mounted to the nail care product bottle for ready accessibility.
Apparatus for use in manicuring procedures have been proposed, however none provide the advantages of this invention. U.S. Pat. No. 2,563,315 (Uyl) illustrates a manicure stand which is designed to hold a nail polish bottle and also has a groove for receiving a finger. U.S. Pat. No. 2,662,534 (Swartz) shows a stand for supporting fingers during the application of nail polish. This stand is quite bulky; indeed, it is large enough to receive a nail care product bottle within it in an interior cavity. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,636 (Mele) illustrates a finger rest with a cavity for receiving a nail polish bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,656,842 (Ammarell) relates to bottles having recessed shoulders acting as finger supports. U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,450 (Lisbon) discloses finger rests that are fixably attached to the nail polish bottle. None of the above patents relate to apparatus that may be attached to the nail care product bottle, readily removed from the bottle and placed on a surface for use as a finger rest. Particularly, none of these patents relate to bottle caps which may be removed and used as a finger rest during manicuring.